As witnessed by the recent interest in the Kodak Film Experience workshops, image-makers throughout Australia are drawn to Super16 film as an acquisition medium. The recent Australian workshops helped over 30 participants in two major cities gain this first hand experience with the latest film production tools and helped them to improve their production skills. Furthermore, as orchestrated by Sean Glasson, General Manager Entertainment Imaging. Kodak Australia, the workshops identified the infrastructure to shoot Super16 and to post projects, whether at the lab in a photochemical process, in the telecine suite out to tape, or in a digital intermediate theater creating a universal digital master.

VCA hosted the Kodak workshop in Melbourne, Australia. DOP instructors Matthew Siegel, Laszlo Baranyai ACS / HSC and Tim Hudson.

Armed with the latest Vision2 filmstocks, including the first rolls of KODAK VISION2 50D 7201 to hit the continent, and a brigade of three identical ARRI SR-3 camera systems from Melbourne’s Cameraquip, the “Truth About Film” workshops demonstrated the evolution and refinement of Kodak’s Super16 educational programs.

“We provide an experience and an environment that grants young image makers exposure to the latest Super16 camera and film technology. An intensive workshop allows them to learn or review the basics and then experiment and explore shooting on film,” remarked Matt Siegel, “Truth About Film” instructor and Kodak Worldwide Cinematographer. “The Kodak educational programs have had success getting the best stage areas, the best camera equipment, the best instructors, and the best post facilities. With these resources, as a team, we guide the participants through the whole process.”

Matthew Siegel and students.

Drawing from Melbourne’s strong film resources, Mary Pappas, Victorian Account Manger, coordinated preproduction, targeting Digital Pictures for telecine, digital intermediate, and post production education; Cameraquip to prep and supply three ARRI SR-3 packages; and Cinevex to set-up for a facility tour and to process the dailies.

In Melbourne, Pappas found a home for the workshop at Victoria College of the Arts (VCA). The staff and equipment at VCA’s School of Film and Television were both well suited for the rigors of motion picture production. The fully dedicated sound stage Studio One and its ample lighting and grip department got the class of 16 participants into full swing.

With the vendors and facility in place, the class was ready to begin. The three-day course as designed by American DOP and lead instructor Matt Siegel came to life…

This workshop operated as a cinematography “crash course.” The first morning was designated FILM 101 with the subheading “20 years in 20 minutes.” Using lots of humor and only a touch of mathematics, the class was taken through the elements of cinematography as they applied to shooting motion picture film. Topics included the mechanics of a Super16 camera, exposure, latitude, metering, density curves, and filmstocks. After lunch, the class was broken into three small production groups.

Laszlo Baranyai and students.

Directors of photography Laszlo Baranyai ACS/HSC and Tim Hudson joined the workshop to lead the breakout groups. That afternoon the class worked with “Day Exterior” situations. DOP Laszlo Baranyai tested the latitude and response of film in high contrast situations. Tim Hudson demonstrated and shot at various frame rates and shutter angles. And Matt Siegel worked with creating scenes, lens choices, depth of field, and pulling focus. “Many of the participants had only worked in video. And those folks were usually one-man bands from the “I’ll do it all myself” school. Beyond the technology, we really worked with the individuals to function as part of the camera crew…as a team.”

As the class was designed to go out and to shoot film, the unheralded heroes of this process and of the team concept became the local camera assistants. In Melbourne, Adam Arkapaw, Sasha Whitehouse, and Daniel Davis assumed the AC duties; helping load magazines, write and organize camera reports, keep gates clean, and the 1001 other duties of the camera department.

Going into day two, the class tackled Lighting 1. Utilizing the sound stage, this section demonstrated the variety of lighting instruments available from small tungsten units, to HMI Par lights, and KinoFlos. The lighting set-ups included classic three-point lighting, hard/soft light, direct/indirect techniques and looks, gels and color, diffusion, and basic portraiture.

By the afternoon, the small groups had worked with their DOP instructors and had begun Lighting 101. The topics covered and photographed during this workshop were Beauty and the Portrait, The Power of the Practical, and Separation Anxiety, creating FG/MG/BG dimension. Once lit, all the exercises were captured with KODAK VISION2 stocks.

Tim Hudson and students.

After taking a short dinner break, the class reassembled for one last series of nighttime exercises. Resembling an urban night safari, the camera teams walked along the perimeter of the VCA campus to examine the color and quality of existing light: Fluorescents, neon, sodium vapor, mercury vapor, car headlights, the downtown skyline, et al.

The next day, the class made its way across town to the Cinevex film laboratory, a Kodak accredited Imagecare Program facility in Camera Negative Processing. At Cinevex, the participants were able to follow the progress of their negative through processing as well as learn about some of the other aspects of film post production - both technical and creative.

The final section of the workshop - the telecine - took place at Digital Pictures, in Melbourne. When the film images came up on the HD monitor in the workshop’s telecine suite, there was a resounding ‘Wow’ factor.

Tim McGahan ACS (right) with a work group at the Adelaide workshop.

Bags packed and gear shipped. And it was time for the next stop on the tour. The South Australian Film Corporation (SAFC) hosted the second Super16 Workshop in Adelaide. Under the watchful eye and gracious support of the SFAC studio manager Sal Corcoran, the Adelaide KFE/”Truth About Film” worked with 12 participants. Kodak’s Leigh Christensen handled the logistics and coordinated with Sal to provide excellent stage space as well as classrooms and all the necessary crew and equipment.

Matt Siegel (2nd from right) with students at the Adelaide workshop.

DOP Tim McGahan ACS and DOP Judd Overton joined instructor Matt Siegel. As each workshop directly reflects the skill level and interests of the participants, the Adelaide class took on a personality all its own. Alison Wotherspoon, Helen Carter and Richard Back from neighboring Flinders University provided the majority of the participants. Cory Piper and Sandra Cook worked as camera assistants and then each took a turn in front of the camera as an actor.

The Adelaide workshop mirrored the Melbourne course outline. Furthermore, the workshop took more time investigating the tools of lighting, working closely with regional Gaffer Richard Risse-Jones. Producer Mike Piper stepped in on day three to talk about putting together a film production, budgeting, and the roles and responsibilities of crew members.

Adelaide workshop.

Leigh Christensen noted, “Matt, Tim and Judd fed them an enormous amount of information over the course of the three days. I was really impressed by the film community in Adelaide. The participants were great. Running a film workshop like this is a coordinated effort … needing the right venue, camera assistants, gaffer, the whole shooting match. Luckily, we had the support of Ernie Clark, ACS who helped stitch the whole program together.”

Heading into 2006, the “Truth About Film” educational programs are now being finalized. It will be exciting to see Kodak joined again by other film industry companies in supporting a coordinated effort to bring the simple and elegant advantages of Super16 cinematography to an eager and enthusiastic group of new film users.